Last Friday, Feb. 17, the CNU Entrepreneurship Club hosted its spring Student Run Business Fair in the DSU. This is the fourth ever business fair hosted by the Entrepreneurship Club, the first being in the fall of 2021.

According to the club’s Compass page, “Our overarching goal is to better connect the Christopher Newport community with our local Newport News community through learning about entrepreneurship. We do this through discussing podcasts, providing workshops, and hosting speakers from local start-up businesses.”

CNU students with small businesses were able to sign up for a booth to sell their products. Businesses ranged from crocheted stuffed animals to handmade paintings to pressed flower jewelry. 

Club president Savanna Meyers is a senior Management and Marketing major who also owns her own business, Simply Statements. Meyers said that her interest in running her own business started in the fourth grade; now she sells greeting cards, clothing with her own designs on them, and she is self-published on Amazon. 

The hardest part of running Simply Statements is finding time to dedicate to her business, said Meyers. 

“The school year is always so busy and I am glad the business fair allows myself and other entrepreneurs to showcase our products to the CNU community,” Meyers added.

One vendor who participated this year was Stephen Sherrange. Sherrange is a senior Computer Science major who has run his own art business for more than five years now. When asked why he chose to participate in this year’s business fair, Sherrange emphasized the importance of business exposure. 

Sherrange also considered the most rewarding aspect of running his own business.

“Being able to look back at what I made and accomplished, and knowing that I made it happen. That sense of personal agency is hard to beat,” he said. 

Another vendor, senior Psychology major Sierra Palian, owns Lilac Haven Jewelry. She started making pressed flower jewelry for fun during the pandemic, but her hobby soon developed into a business. 

In developing her business, she encountered some hiccups along the way. However, Palian said, “Perseverance is key to starting any business, and frustration isn’t a bad thing; it shows that you’re striving to get better. 

Palian also said, “It’s so refreshing to bring a creative idea to fruition and see other people get just as excited about my jewelry as I do.”

To find out more about the Entrepreneurship Club, visit their Instagram page: @eclubcnu